


Just Us

by wiggles247



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: M/M, Wedding Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-25 21:07:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9844289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wiggles247/pseuds/wiggles247
Summary: A wedding story where there are (only) minor mishaps, a fancy car, a poignant stop and a very special postcard.And absolutely NO mentions of the p word!!





	

**Author's Note:**

> Before its null and voided by the real (not real) 'wedding' in a few minutes my wedding wish list in fiction form.
> 
> Apologies for all the talking but it was the quickest way to get everything in and I really wanted to get this posted before the episode tonight.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy................ :) :)

**********************

 

“Your mum’s going to kill us for leaving without saying bye,” Robert said, glancing over at Aaron

“Nah, she was too blotto to even notice that we’ve gone, and when she does it’ll be Vic she’s mad at for helping us” Aaron answered grinning across at him

“Oh yeah – bless Vic!!” Robert said sincerely, before continuing, “but Chas isn’t the only one who’s a bit worse for wear!”

“Hey, I’m fine I could have had at least three more pints easily.” Aaron argued.

“Yeah that argument might have worked if I didn’t have video evidence of you dancing with your mum – something you swore blind you’d _never_ do in public under any circumstances,” Robert replied.

“That was nothing to do with me – she dragged me up there and she wouldn’t take no for an answer.  Anyway, don’t have a go at me because you’re the only groom in the history of the world ever not to get drunk at their wedding.”

“Well, Liv had warned me on pain of death that I wasn’t to drink anything but the champagne I had for the toasts, and you’re not telling me you would have missed out on this surely,” he said looking round the car interior.

“Oh, God no,” Aaron replied, earnestly, shaking his head to emphasise the point.

“I still can’t believe she arranged all this,” Robert said “To think once upon a time she hated me so much she tried to put me inside, and now she’s shelling out to hire our dream car to take us to the hotel we’re staying at before we jet off on our honeymoon.  See I told you everyone loves me in the end!” he concluded triumphantly.

“Hmm, I’m not sure I’d go that far – I’d say she tolerates you at best,” Aaron answered, his smile belying his words  “And she had help with organising this anyway,” he continued, indicating the car with his hands, “Cain used his contacts to source the car”

“You do realise you’re just proving my point now, don’t you?” Robert exclaimed, explaining when he saw the puzzlement on Aaron’s face.  “Cain helping to do something nice for me - it’s like I’ve fallen down a rabbit hole AND then gone through a looking glass.”

“I think you’ll find that Cain did it all for me actually, and that, to him, you’re just a necessary evil – like traffic wardens or the tax man.”

“Chaming!”  Robert snorted, “but he definitely wasn’t that impressed about me getting out of drinking from that welly - Liv must have really done a number on him!”

“Yeah, well would you say no to her when she’s got the bit between her teeth?”

“Not likely – I know how hard she can kick,” Robert replied, involuntarily wincing at the memory. “I’ll have to get her something especially nice whilst we’re away though, cos I really didn’t fancy drinking from that welly.  Although by rights I shouldn’t have had to anyway, the number of times I’ve seen you naked.”

“I’m not sure that’s quite how it works – Moira only got out of it because she’d seen CAIN naked.”

“Oh, well in that case,” Robert said, “maybe the welly wouldn’t be such a bad thing.  I mean you naked is one thing, one fabulous thing,” he added, grinning, “but ugh, as for Cain” he shuddered, “I don…”

“Alright, alright” Aaron interrupted, “that’s enough talk of my uncle naked thank you.  Are you going to tell me where we’re going or not?”

“It’s a surprise," Robert answered, “so no!”

“But I don’t like surprises,” Aaron countered.

“You’ll like this one,” Robert said confidently. “I promise!” he finished, the earnestness in his tone, causing Aaron to melt inside a little bit more.  “But I like how talk of nakedness got you thinking about where we’d be spending the night,” he added, noticing Aaron’s slight blush and suddenly feeling a spike of excitement at the fact that, after everything, they were finally here.  “It was a good day though, wasn’t it?”

It took Aaron a moment to orientate himself to the switch in the feeling of the conversation but once he had he answered, honest and simple, “the best!”  his smile emphasising his words, “even if the cars didn’t quite make it and we had to improvise the button-holes.”

“Well, given how we got engaged we should have expected something to happen on the Hotten Bypass today, and at least this time it was just a jack-knifed lorry blocking the road.  And Doug’ll be dining out on how his green-house forced roses saved our wedding for years to come at his horticultural society thing.  It wouldn’t surprise me if he doesn’t write an article on it for their newsletter.  No, no,” he said, noticing Aaron’s expression, “I’m serious. Just you wait, I bet he’ll be asking us both for quotes he can use when we get back from Vegas.”

“Right, OK,” Aaron said.

“Mmm, mark my words,”

“It was a shame about the cars though.”

“Oh I don’t know – I thought you arriving in the tow-truck was quite apt actually,” Robert said, “almost like fate really.  Everything going full circle – bringing us back to the beginning, to start something new all over again.”

“And you called me sentimental when I wanted to get the dates engraved on that coin!” Aaron said, smiling softly to negate his words, “and then you’re here talking about fate and things being meant.”

“Yeah, I know!” Robert said, shaking his head “don’t worry, it won’t last I’ll be back to the smug, cynical muppet you love soon.  But it’s been a bit of a day for signs, hasn’t it – I mean that postcard arriving today of all days!”

“Yeah, I’ll give you that,” Aaron said, remembering the smile on Robert’s face when he’d realised and finding himself smiling again now at the memory. 

 

*~*~*

And he remembered he’d been slightly annoyed when his mum had pulled them to one side during the reception and given them some post saying, ‘ I know it’s not really the time but you’re not here for a while from now and there’s something official looking in there, and I know you’re waiting for that thing about The Mill to come.’ Adding, before she bustled off ‘oh yeah, and there’s a really weird postcard in there too.’

 And he’d been disappointed when the official-looking letter had just turned out to be something about their council tax banding, his attention drifting, and he’d been watching Liv laughing with Gabby when Robert had grabbed his arm, and said ‘Aaron, it’s Andy’.

 On a reflex he’d looked to the Woolpack doors and then turned back towards Robert puzzled, saying ‘What?’ at the same time as he noticed Robert’s beaming smile.

‘It’s Andy!” Robert repeated, thrusting a postcard into his hand.  And he had just enough time to see that there was a picture of a flamenco dancer on the front of it before Robert turned it over to show him the back.  And in writing that looked vaguely familiar there was a short message

‘Hi All.  Everything fine with me.  Hope things going for well for all of you too.  See you soon hopefully.  All my love Bombasto Thunderhammer  xx’

And he’d looked up at Robert, his confusion obviously evident on his face because he’d repeated ‘It’s from Andy!’

 ‘What, but it says its fr…’ 

‘Oh no, that’s just his idea of a joke,’ Robert had interrupted, which didn’t really explain anything (although he had later) before suddenly saying, his beam growing ‘Oh, I’ve got to go and tell Vic and Diane! Can you believe it?’ taking the postcard from his hand and heading over to the table where his sister and step-mum were sitting with Adam and Doug.

*~*~*

 

“Yes, that IS something special,” Aaron confirmed, “it really could have been meant to be.”

“I know,” Robert agreed, “it was as good as it could be under the circumstances – I just can’t believe that it came today……. it’s just brilliant isn’t it?” he finished, beaming across at Aaron again.

“Yeah, it really is – like I said it was the best day ever!  Well, so far,” Aaron amended.

“And it’s not even over yet!” Robert exclaimed.

“Oh no, no we’re not having any of that sort of talk till we get to wherever it is we’re going,” Aaron insisted. “It doesn’t feel right in a car my little sister arranged for you to drive.”

“No, I wasn’t thinking about that,” Robert said, “well obviously I was, am” he corrected “but that wasn’t what I was talking about.”

“Hmm OK,” Aaron said, sounding doubtful, “so what were you talking about then?”

“Patience, patience,” Robert said, “we’re not quite there yet?”

“What? Not where yet?” Aaron asked looking across at Robert who was suddenly very focussed on driving, “Robert!  Come on, tell me… … Robert” but when it became clear that he wasn’t going to get an answer from him, he switched his attention to what he could see out of the windows, although with only the beam of the cars headlights to work with, apart from the road and the hedgerows there wasn’t much for him to go on.

Robert seemed to know where he was though because a minute or two later he slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road.  “Right OK, where are we?” Aaron asked.

“Don’t you recognise it?”

“Robert, it’s dark and as far as I can tell you’ve stopped in a random place at the side of a road, how am I meant to recognise it?” Aaron replied, annoyance creeping in to his tone.

“Maybe, if you get out it’ll jog your memory,” Robert suggested, taking his seat-belt off and opening his door before climbing out of the car.  He stood by the side of the car stretching slightly waiting for Aaron to get out, before adding when he did and stood looking across the roof of the car at him, “and if I point out that it’s not a random place at the side of a road, it’s a lay-by.” And he waited, not saying anything more watching as Aaron thought, and he knew exactly when the realisation hit Aaron of where they were.

“OK,” Aaron said, smiling slightly, “so I know where we are now.  You’re still going to have to explain what we’re doing here though.”

“Come here then,” Robert said, holding his hand out across the roof.  Aaron looked at him appraisingly for a moment before huffing out a breath, closing his door and coming round the front of the car to stand beside Robert.  “We’re here because this is where everything started for us and I wanted it to be the place where we do something for the first time again.”  Aaron seemed as if he was about to say something so Robert rushed on, “Now I know you wouldn’t have wanted to have a first dance with everybody watching, but I was hoping you would do it with me here, now.  Just us.”

“Just us!” Aaron repeated, considering Robert carefully before saying almost grudgingly, “Go on then, just us.”

“Really!” Robert said, not realising quite how much he’d wanted it until Aaron had agreed.

“Yeah, really,” Aaron said, “as long as it stays between just us”

“Oh yeah, yes, I promise,” the sincerity in his tone making Aaron smile, “and I know we never had a discussion about song choices but I really hope you like this one,” Robert continued, “It was my mum’s favourite, and the film was the first one she ever saw with my dad, at some anniversary screening, so it’s…”

“I’m sure I’ll love it,” Aaron assured him

“Right OK then,” Robert said turning back to the car and turning the key. The interior light came on illuminating his face as he found the CD case, and Aaron was struck again by just how beautiful he was, ‘my golden boy’ he thought, before shaking his head at his own softness, smiling nonetheless.  Robert slid the CD into the car’s audio system and quickly turned off the interior light before standing up and turning back towards Aaron, leaving just the stars and the half-moon to illuminate the scene.  Then as the first notes of the music played, which Aaron almost immediately recognised, he drew him into his arms and then they began to sway slowly in time with the music.  And Aaron heard Robert whisper “Just us” before the song began, and thought as they settled in to each other’s arms, ‘Yeah, just us.” 

 

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**Author's Note:**

> If you have a moment please leave kudos or (even better) a comment.


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